1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to sugar cane planting machines and, more particularly, is directed to a tractor-pulled cart which cuts long sugar cane stalks to plantable sizes and then distributes same to pre-formed furrows in the ground below.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art techniques for planting sugar cane have relied excessively upon manual labor. Uncut sugar cane stalks are approximately 5 to 6 feet long and are generally stored in a wheeled cart from which they are manually withdrawn for planting. Since the cane stalks are frequently bent, and sometimes quite leafy, they have a tendency to become entangled in the cart, thus making the manual process of removing them cumbersome and time-consuming. After being withdrawn from the cart, the long stalks must be placed in a trench formed in the planting row. Once this occurs, any crooked sections of the cane stalks must be cut, and the leaves removed, in order to ensure that they will lie flat when placed in the trench. Thus, it may be appreciated that manual unloading and planting of sugar cane stalks has been and continues to be a tedious and time-consuming process.
Several sugar cane planting machines, which purport to overcome the disadvantages noted above with respect to manual planting of sugar cane, have been suggested, as exemplified by the following prior art United States patents of which I am aware:
385,234; 513,807; 1,618,958; 1,764,159; 1,785,743; 1,908,548; 2,841,103; 3,073,265; 3,279,400; 3,387,745; 3,404,808; 3,465,902; 3,468,441; 3,702,664; and 3,907,135.
Exemplary of the foregoing is the Arceneaux Pat. No. 2,841,103 which illustrates a sugar cane planting apparatus which plants the sugar cane after having cut it preparatory to planting. The cutting is achieved by a plurality of circular saws which are spaced along a shaft, a V-shaped member forming a guide for directing the horizontally-disposed sugar cane stalks onto the saws. The sections of cut sugar cane pass between a pair of triangular blocks and are then picked up by pockets and are upwardly transported to be discharged into a rearwardly and downwardly inclined trough.
The Gonzales Pat. No. 3,279,400 is also of interest in illustrating a device for cutting and planting sugar cane which includes means for cutting the long sugar cane stalks into seed-sized segments, means for planting these segments into a furrow, and means for closing the furrow.
Such planting machines, which are allegedly improvements over manual planting techniques, are nevertheless deficient in several particulars. Generally speaking, the planting machines heretofore developed and suggested by the prior art patents are overly complex and therefore tend to be unduly expensive. In attempting to perform too many functions, such machines have a tendency not to perform well at all. Further, the sugar cane stalk holding, cutting and distributing designs of the prior art tend to entangle, rather than disentangle, the long cane stalks within the cart to inhibit their proper and cutting and distribution. What is therefore badly needed is a sugar cane planting machine which simplifies and makes more practical the storage, cutting and distribution of sugar cane stalks to planting furrows.